The Language of Flowers
by SammiRichGurl
Summary: Konoha, on the brink of the Second Shinobi World War, takes in a girl with a forgotten past. A girl, whose existence sets in motion a series of changes that will alter the world of Naruto as we know it. Trouble is, she's doesn't care much for ninja business. Young!Sannin. Jiraiya/oc


**Hi everyone! This is a second attempt at a naruto fanfic. Any comment, questions, or concerns leave them in the reviews and I'll address them at the start of the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: What's mine is mine. What isn't mine belongs to Kishimoto-sensei. **

_Opening theme: Ninja Re Bang Bang by Kyary pamyu pamyu_

_"Sometimes The thing your most afraid of doing, is the very thing that will set you free."_

* * *

><p>"I can't drink this tea with cream and sugar."<p>

Sumiko delicately pushed the chipped,blue tea cup away from her. The water that condensed on the porcelain left a wet streak on the table. Not that a little water damage made a difference. The table, like everything else in the orphanage, was hand-me-down and desperately needing repair. Sumiko had noted this upon entry to the run-down building, and with the realization that the decrepitude of the house extended to a roach infestation in the girls lavatory, was able to conclude that this was not a place for her to be.

"Then don't drink it, brat!" The wart faced head mistress pulled her thin lips back over yellowed teeth in a sneer. Sumiko huffed with displeasure as the old woman continued on her rounds, barely sparing the girl another glance. It was easy to get forgotten about in a place like this. Even during meal time the kids were running all over the place, flinging food and shouting. It was chaos. The orphanage was understaffed, underfunded, and out of luck when it came to controlling the unruly children.

Not to mention the latest addition to the circus: A young girl, past her adoption prme, with severe amnesia and an even more problematic ego. Sumiko.

Three weeks. Thats how long she'd already been there, and nothing to show for it except a quickly growing troupe of enemies. Her seemingly high and mighty attitude had won her no alliances with the other children, who were afraid to approach the overbearing girl who acted more like an adult than a twelve year old.

Needless to say she sat alone and unbothered during the rest dinner. Just like every night prior and every night proceeding. Sumiko eventually developed a routine in her isolation.

She would arise to the sound of silence at around 8 a.m. A whole hour after everyone else got up in the morning(no one bothered to wake her up), and then head to the bathroom to shiver under a cold spray of water. When she finally made her way down the corridor to the dining hall she would then scrap the burnt bits of the bland tasteless mush the staff served at every meal from the bottom of the pan, and sit down in solitude on the chair next to the window.

From there she would watch the other kids run around outside, playing games she was never invited to join, and continuously tell herself that she wouldn't want to play with those hoodlums anyway. I have a family thats looking for me, I'm sure of it. I'll be out of here within the month, no sense in making friends. She thought this to herself many times. But soon enough a month had passed. No memories returned. No family came for her.

_I'm not like them._

A month passed. Then a year. Sumiko's thirteenth birthday came and went without any fanfare. The only present she received was a growing sense of poignant loneliness that crept up on her at night, when the room was dark and all the other girls were peacefully asleep. It robbed her of her breath and left her gasping and sobbing.

Sumiko decided to take action. Although she harboured great disdain towards the ruffians she had been grouped with she concluded that something needed to be done before she went crazy. There was only so much window watching and cold showers one could take before they cracked; Sumiko felt herself reaching the point of return. And don't get her started on that slop they try to pass as food, burned or no.

_If I can't join them,_ She surmised. _Then I'll just have to beat them!_

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><p>Many of the great countries that Sumiko had heard about in her history lessons had something called a social hierarchy. And it was after being denied the usage of the dining hall for the umpteenth time this month that she began to realize that the <em>Little Leaf Orphanage for Girls<em> had formed one as well.

It was the beginning of the rainy season, meaning that the children that usually took their business outside, supplying Sumiko with an abundance of peace indoors, had moved their games inside. Much to her chagrin, a group of fairly popular girls had settled themselves in her coveted spot in the dining room.

At first it wasn't a big deal, Sumiko rationalized that they would soon find another, better spot to host their tea parties and then they would leave.

This was not the case.

These girls rested at the top of the social food chain, while Sumiko rested at the bottom, practically a pariah to everyone else. These girls weren't kind, or thoughtful. In Sumiko's mind they had no justification to be so well-treated by the rest of the girls, they had no reason to come in take something from her if they already had everything. She was jealous, viciously so. A brief flare of childish possessiveness over something silly, like sitting at a certain spot at a table. But to Sumiko, who had very few ties to her current surroundings, their intrusion made all the difference.

"I have to get them out of there," She mumbled to herself in the bathroom mirror. The bathroom was deserted at this hour, most of the girls were already causing a ruckus elsewhere in the house. As if on cue, a group of children ran down the hall, screaming wildly. Sumiko cringed at the sound and vowed that by the end of the day she would reclaim her sanctuary.

First, she was need to find some help. Alot of the other kids avoided her, thanks to the nasty rumors started by the popular then there was the case of Hitomi and Chinatsu Kimura.

If what little information Sumiko was able to over her from the staff was true, they were the soul survivors of a devastating fire that wiped out their village a few years back. Hitomi was a tall, intimidating girl who would have been pretty if her jade coloured eyes weren't tinged with cruelty and her face wasn't prematurely aged with stress. She was the oldest girl at the orphanage, a whole whooping sixteen years old, and took up the position of guarding her younger relative, Chinatsu. The younger girl, often affectionately referred to as Natsu by her big sister, was the cheeriest, kindest girl Sumiko had encountered since losing her memories. A complete difference from her bodyguard, Natsu was small and spritely with large doe eyes and short curly black hair. Sumiko, along with the majority of the kids, greatly admired Natsu for her kind demeanor and easy smile.

Sumo had long entertained the idea of becoming friends with little Natsu, but she found herself face to face with a real challenge. Getting past her ever present bodyguard.

But if she could convince them to help her with her plan, maybe they would grow closer and become friends.

And maybe, Sumiko would stop waking up in the middle of the night. Filled with the fear of being alone.

"Excuse me?" Sumiko's voice was clear and confident, but she hung around the doorway to the playroom. Just in case things went downhill and she needed to quickly get away.

"What do you want?" The older girl, Hitomi, sat in a chair by the window, flipping through an old book, and looking bored out of her mind.

"Hi there!" Little Natsu sat on the carpeted floor and played with a set of old, worn wooden blocks.

"Well," Sumiko drawled out. " I was going to hang out in the dining hall. But ever since the rainy season began, it's been booked with tea parties."

Hitomi snorted, "I'm surprised your highness isn't the one hosting these parties, what with the way you carry on."

"Well, you can hang out with us Sumiko-san!" Natsu beamed, eagerly clearing a spot on the floor.

"No she cant." Hitomi amended, casting a stern look at Natsu.

"She's right Natsu-san," Hitomi's eyes flickered to Sumiko with suspicion.

Entering the room, Sumiko slowly made her way over to the record player, which was softly playing playing a jaunty tune.

"It's only a matter of time until they want to change venues. And this room has a record player and and better view of the garden. I think they may displace you guys next. We can't just sit around and wait for that to happen now can we? We've got to take action." Sumiko smiled tightly at Hitomi, the older girl snapped her book shut and was now full on glaring at the girl.

"Hitomi-chan, she's got a point. What if they kick us out of here?" Natsu ceased her playing and looked helplessly at the older girl for an answer.

"You think I'd let anyone boss us around? We can deal with that when the time comes. " Hitomi cracked her book open and attempted to compose herself. Natsu looked at the floor seemingly torn about the situation.

Seizing the opportunity, Sumiko turned to the little girl.

"Do you want to help me, Natsu-san? My plan won't work if I'm on my own." Sumiko stated sheepishly.

The young girl instantly perked up, practically radiating happiness. She also developed an unsettling mischievous gleam in her eye.

"I'm in!"

Sumiko raised an eyebrow at Hitomi, whose face began twitching in anger.

"I-I guess I'm in too." She spit out, face puckering in displeasure. Refusing to show defeat, she slammed her book on the window sill and turned off the record player.

"What's did you have in mind?"

Sumiko grinned, and beckoned the girls closer.


End file.
